LaPine State Park

La Pine State Park is a beauty in the desert! Combine the heat and lack of rain of the eastern desert with sme lush scenic views along the Deschutes River. It is not our first choice style of camping, we like more remote isolated stuff, but every now and then we need a reservation site and this one fit the bill for a couple nights while on a longer road trip. And it is open year round! We made a late reservation and got site 136 when someone made a cancellation. This site backs up to the main road and sits right at the park entrance but it was surprisingly private for the less than ideal location. We especially loved being able to ride our bikes on trails right from camp!

This was our first time at La Pine State Park and we only had one night scheduled there, but we will certainly be back. The campground was lovely, with large shady sites, most spread out and with enough vegetation to provide some privacy. The campground has 81 full hook-up sites (sewer, 50 amp electric, and water), 48 electric/water sites, and 10 cabins arranged in three large loops.

Sites have a picnic table and firepit. Showers and bathrooms are centrally located in each loop. The Middle and South loops have back-in sites along the outside of the loop and pull-throughs on the inside. There is also a fenced off-leash area, but we never made it there because Riley had a blast playing in the river.

There is easy access to the Deschutes River and hiking/mountain bike trails. We rode about 12 miles mostly on single track through forest and along the river and I can attest that the trails are fun for even a novice mountain biker! Visit the “Big Tree”, a 500 year-old Oregon Heritage Tree and largest Ponderosa pine in Oregon.

While there is plenty to do right in the campground, there are even more opportunities in the area. On our list for next time is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, the High Desert Museum, and a trip to Bend (Crux Brewery sundowner!). 😊

The only downside, we had only 1 bar of Verizon 3G.

Overall, this is a beautiful Oregon State Park that's a terrific bargain for its full hookups and location (as we learned even more researching other states!) The biggest challenges were that we had absolutely no cell signal so our phones and Verizon jet pack didn't work and that

We stayed at LaPine in August when that part of Oregon was burdened with many wildfires so didn't get to enjoy as much outside as we wanted but we were really impressed with all the sites to see in the park (easy access to the Deschutes River, huge trees, and trails) and nearby with the Newberry National Volcanic Monument (the Obsidian Flow Trail and Paulina Creek Falls are terrific sites to name a few.) Bend is not too far of a drive either- a straight shot up a highway that never seems to get too congested!

Dog-Friendliness: we stayed in the South loop right across from a green space so we had a nice place to walk every day and many of our fellow campers brought their pups.

Runner's Rave: because of the smoke, I only did a couple short runs but there was a nice wide main road and the trails looked like great spots for trail running.

Downsides: we had heard that there was no cell signal but were a little surprised at how true that was in every part of the park so be prepared to be totally off-the-grid. We heard they are building a new Verizon tower nearby so hopefully that helps address the issue for folks like us who needed a little connection. Secondly, we loved the size of the sites but at least in ours, the sewer hook-up was on a slope that required some crazy engineering to get the set-up to work. Finally, be wary of the chipmunks- we met a couple that really liked hanging out in our grill grease pit.

Overall, we really enjoyed the peacefulness of the park, the terrific location, and the value - if only the Verizon tower would get built a little quicker and the chipmunks would be a little less aggressive!

The Oregon State parks are all exceedingly well maintained, and LaPine State Park is no exception. Scores of sites spread out over three large loops, and around 10 cabins too. Just over 20 miles south of Ben, 4 miles off of Route 97, LaPine is everything you hope for. Vast open pine forests, with a scattering of Ponderosas, and the large Deschutes River winding its way from bend to bend alongside and past the park.

Wifi is nonexistent, and the cell signal is fairly weak — so make sure you have booster if you need to get online at all. Otherwise, just head up the road 5 miles to the small town of Sunriver for a good coffee and wifi.

There are day trips aplenty too -- Mt. Bachelor and Paulina Peak to name just a few. Easy and stunning.

We loved the time we spent at LaPine State Park. We had a full hookup site with 50-amp, sewer, and water for $26 a night in a serene wooded setting. The campground was extremely well maintained, the showers and restrooms were clean and nice. There were lots of hikes we could do right from our Airstream, though it rained most of the time we were there so we didn't do much.

The only negative of this place (and why it is 4 stars instead of 5) is that we had only 1 bar LTE on Verizon and it did NOTHING. Even with our booster, we couldn't get most web pages to load. So you will be 100% without connectivity while you are here. We drove into LaPine for signal and groceries one of the days.

Even without cell service, we would stay again for a nice, full hook-up overnight.

It was hot while we were in La Pine and we were very happy that our spot was shaded. This was our first venture out with our new 36' rv and our spot was very easy to get in to. Hook ups were great and the park was very clean and quiet. We had some problems with our cell signal, and our cell booster didn't help, but we were able to drive into Sunriver and work from the Brewed Awakenings coffee shop.

The camp hosts were great, the bathrooms and showers were really clean. It was a great spot for our first trip in the RV! There was even a place to take the dog to swim!

We would definitely stay here again! (we had the disabled veterans rate, which is why it is only $8)

LaPine SP was our first stop-over on a 6 week tour of Oregon. What an amazing introduction to their state park system. Full hook ups for $26 a night? Amazing. I have to say they had shut off site water for the season, which in no way affects our opinions of the park. There was a space with a warmed water faucet for refills, and the showers and toilets were business as usual.

All the sites had easy access, with some pull thrus. We picked our site in order to maximize sun exposure as it was getting below freezing at night.

Just off the South Loop is the Deschutes River Trail, a wonderfully maintained multi use system. Get your hike or bike on!

Shower and facilities were spotless and the water was hot! Winter staff was real friendly as well.

You're close to Sunriver and Bend for all the offerings there. If you're like us, the craft brew options are to die for. And, I threw a few flies to willing trout.

We'll be back.

This state park is quite lovely. Nice trails and the Deschutes River runs right through the park. You could use this as a base to visit Bend although it is a bit of a drive.

It is also near to the popular Sun River recreation area, Cascade Scenic Byway and the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

They have good sized sites, with hookups (elec and water) picnic table and firerings. There is a dump station on site and recycling facilities. The hosts were very friendly and helped us out when we were stuck without a spot to camp in on Saturday night.

No cell reception here. We went into LaPine to get coverage.